Playing tennis matches on clay court surfaces are associated with more perceived enjoyment response but less perceived exertion compared to hard courts

Background: A few studies have shown that different types of court surfaces can have different effects on tennis match performance in different age groups, however, no studies have researched on tennis match performance responses in young tennis players. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different court surfaces on psychophysiological responses, time-motion and match characteristics of young tennis players. Methods: Twenty-six young male tennis players (age 13.0 ± 0.3 years, body height 158 ± 8 cm, body mass 48 ± 7 kg) volunteered to participate in the study. Heart rate was monitored along with total distance covered in four different speed zones-walking, low-intensity running, moderate-intensity running and high-intensity running, using two portable multivariable integrated 10 Hz GPS monitoring devices over twenty-six outdoor tennis matches; ratings of perceived exertion and enjoyment level were also determined at the end of the matches. Variables describing the characteristics of the matches determined from video recordings were: strokes per rally, rally duration, effective playing time, work-to-rest ratio and rest time between rallies. Differences between hard and clay courts were assessed by a paired t-test. Results: The results showed that clay court surfaces induced significantly more perceived enjoyment scores (29.4 ± 2.8 vs. 26.0 ± 3.2) with lower perceived exertion level (13.4 ± 2.7 vs. 14.4 ± 2.9) compared to hard courts. Moreover, a clay court surface is also more effective at improving physiological responses, time-motion and match characteristics compared to hard court. Conclusions: If a coach strives to improve their young tennis players' tennis-specific performance with greater physical enjoyment, clay court surfaces should be specially used in their tennis training season.